Breast pumps and feeding

[Noodles14]

Hi all. I am FTM and am planning on breast feeding (best laid plans and all that) and just saw this electric breast pump on sale in the Asda baby sale. Is it a) a good deal and b) a good brand/model?
Also, even though I really want to breast feed I know that it doesn't always work out how you plan so is it best to buy some bottles/steriliser bits as well? If so, can anybody recommend a brand/package to look at?!
Thanks as always!

Breast pump on Asda

Successfully breastfed both my DDs (still going at 19 months with DD2). Didn’t buy a pump or any bottles/sterilising stuff or emergency formula. We did fine. Some like to have some in but I preferred not, could always have bought it quickly if needed.

I had a hand pump to start with and decided I'd buy a decent electric one if needed. I ended up just using the hand pump, as that worked for me.

I used that Tommee Tippee one for both b

You have a lovely and realistic outlook OP. Really recommend the ardo calypso as this is hospital grade and really powerful.

I think you'd be better spending the money on a visit from a lactation consultant, preferably IBCLC. I did use a pump in the early days but DS was tongue tied so didn't latch well.

I used that Tommee Tippee one for both both babies. Think we paid around £50 (from toys R Us if I remember right). It was ok, I only expressed for the first 8ish weeks.

I used a hospital grade Medela pump in hospital and it was amazing. I wish I’d bought a better pump but it was just bought as back up as I’d planned to bf. By the time I realised I felt it was too late to spend more on a better one.

If you pump you will need bottles to feed the pumped milk to the baby and a steriliser or Milton for said bottles.

I have that pump, also a Medela swing and I hired a hospital grade medela symphony as well (I exclusively pumped for 6 months). The tommee tippee was least good as quite noisy and the connections came apart a lot. I thought the suction on the Medela swing was better too. Hospital grade pump was miles better than either battery powered one.

All of that said tommee tippee was ok, it would definitely do for occasional use.

If you join boots parenting club you get a voucher for a free Mam self sterilizing bottle (it comes apart and you microwave it).
Or just buy a couple of bottles and some microwave steriliser bags (loads of brands on Amazon).
I recommend getting a hand pump to start.

Like you say best laid plans - my DD resolutely refused to bf. I tried to express all her milk but wish I'd just hired a Medela breast pump right at the start, much better than the Ardo which I really didn't rate.

We use MAM bottles, the self-sterilising is handy

I had a manual Medela pump. I never got on with the electric ones. What does your hospital use? Get that as it'll be what you learn to use on the post natal Ward if you decide to try it then.

Personally, I'm not a fan of pumps in the early days.

I BF my DD for 15 months. I did buy the MAM microwave steriliser and bottle set because it was in the sale, but I never really used it to begin with. It came with a manual pump which I never used. I personally found BF so time-consuming that I couldn't have expressed too! Electric pumps are expensive and I'm not sure that I'd buy one 'just in case!'
Good luck with the feeding!

I had that Tommee Tippee pump and hated it. I then got a Medela Swing which was great. I'd wait until after baby is born to buy one.

Thanks for all of your replies- invaluable advice as always ladies. Will continue to research before I buy anything I think!

I wouldn't spend too much on bottles or pumps until you see how you get on as personally I hate expressing and prefer to just feed the baby myself. It's quicker and easier. I tried it with my first child but found it to be a huge faff. My 12 month old has never had a bottle as there's been no need to. Obviously it depends how long you have off work too, as I was lucky enough to be able to take the full year so no need to introduce bottles and expressed milk or formula by the time the baby is 1, but would be needed if you went back to work when baby was say 9 months. The reason I mention that is that if the plan is to have the baby on a bottle at some point it's probably worth introducing it in the early days so they don't refuse it when required.

You don't need to sterilise bottles or pumps used for expressing, so that's one job off the list. I have the tommee tippee hand pump, which is good for late night engorgement, and the medela swing electric (bought in a hurry as baby wouldn't latch).
It's worth checking if the hospital loan or rent pumps as then you can see how you like it before buying.

Personally I would buy it if it's a good price. I breastfed DD for the first 10 months or so, had all the best intentions of EBF, within days of getting home from the hospital I was in bits! Not slept in days after a long induction, boobs were really sore and engorged, so DP nipped to town one day, came home with a medela swing pump and a microwave steriliser I was ordered to pump some milk, have a hot bath then get an early night, I slept for 15 hours! DP fed the baby and I woke up feeling like a new woman. I breastfed most of the time, but I had a store of pumped breast milk in the freezer for certain times, like when my mum babysat, or when DP was giving me the night off and doing the night feeds, or on occasions when I was going to be drinking alcohol (more than a glass or two) which after 9 months of no alcohol I was really looking forward to.

I couldn't have breastfed for as long as I did without a pump. I don't get how people get on without one? My DP only did the nightfeeds one or two nights a week, and my mum only babysat once a month, but those little breaks were amazing! I couldn't have dealt with being permanently attatched to DD, I'd have gone insane. If that makes me a terrible person then so be it.

Get the pump! If you don't use it, well, at least you didn't spend too much on it.

Be warned though, of someone else is doing the night feeds and you sleep through, your sheets will be soaked in breast milk by morning 🙈